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St. John Parish councilman who was booked on assault charges asks parish and community for forgiveness

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St. John the Baptist Parish Councilman Ranney Wilson was arrested Saturday and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal use of a firearm, and aggravated criminal damage to property after firing multiple shots into his son's vehicle after an argument at his Garyville home, according to the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office.
(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)

St. John the Baptist Parish Councilman Ranney Wilson -- who was arrested on Saturday and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal use of a firearm, and aggravated criminal damage to property after firing multiple shots into his son's vehicle during an argument -- on Tuesday asked the council and community to forgive his actions and respect the privacy of his family.

In his statement at the St. John Parish Council meeting, Wilson kept the details of the incident vague.

"This incident stemmed from a long-time, ongoing family matter, one that I regret and that sadly escalated into the event you heard about," Wilson said. "I'm deeply sorry for my actions, and sincerely apologize for any embarrassment I brought on my family, my friends, District 2, and my fellow councilmen. I ask forgiveness...and I ask you to respect my family's privacy as we work through this difficult time."

St. John Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre said Wilson -- who served on the St. John Parish Council as the District 4 representative on and off for 16 years between 1984 and 2004 before rejoining the council in 2011 as District 2 representative -- got into an argument with his 26-year-old son at approximately 6:30 p.m Saturday evening. Tregre said that Wilson tried to convince his son to stay in the house during the spat, and when he refused, Wilson retrieved a handgun from the house and followed his son outside onto the driveway.

The argument continued, Tregre said, and Wilson fired the handgun gun several times into his son's 2006 Ford pickup truck, disabling the vehicle. The truck was parked at the time, and there were no passengers inside.

When St. John Parish sheriff's deputies arrived at Wilson's home, on the 800 block of Garyville Northern Street, Wilson identified himself as the person who fired the gun, and instructed deputies where he'd placed the weapon. Wilson was booked on aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal use of a firearm and aggravated criminal damage to property charges. Wilson was released on $22,500 bond on Sunday morning about 9:30 a.m.

The latest infraction isn't Wilson's first brush with the law since becoming a public official. In 1990, Wilson was involved in a physical altercation with his cousin and was booked on simple assault and simple battery charges. In 2003, Wilson was issued a court summons on a charge of simple battery after engaging in a fist fight with a Garyville resident, though he was never arrested.